Finnish President: Russia wants to continue war to expand control over territories

Finnish President Alexander Stubb said on Friday that there is no sign yet of Russia's readiness to negotiate with Ukraine - Moscow is seeking to continue the war until at least the fall in order to expand its territorial gains as much as possible.

In an interview published in Helsingin Sanomat on Saturday, quoted by the Polish news agency PAP, Stubb said there was no sign yet that Russia would be willing to sit down to discuss a ceasefire or peace with Ukraine. "They want to continue the war at least until autumn to maximise their territorial gains," he said.

According to the Finnish president, it is also "unlikely" that a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy will take place in the near future. "Russia's delaying tactics will continue," Stubb said.

"We are gradually," Stubb admitted, "getting closer to the point where a ceasefire and a more lasting peace may be possible." He stressed, however, that the only person who can force Putin to make peace is Trump, who has so far not used tough measures such as sweeping sanctions to influence Putin.

"The task of a small country like Finland is to influence the negotiating position of the US president. Sometimes we succeed in this, and sometimes a little less," Stubb emphasized.

He also stressed that for the first time in history, Finland is sitting at the table where the future of European security is being decided. "However, this is different from the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), the final act of which was signed in Helsinki in 1975," the Finnish president noted.

Asked about his involvement in potential security guarantees being developed for Ukraine, he replied that Finland is involved in the process, but its participation in these guarantees "will not determine war or peace."